You Quote, I Quote
by ExellentlyEllen
Summary: Short little stories, relating to quotes that pique my interest. Or prompts...
1. Cure For Boredom

**Yes, I'm fully aware I have a few ... lets say, less than finished stories lying around. But I came across this quote, and I just couldn't help myself. This 'story' will be updated sporadically. With one-shots based on (famous) quotes. **

**Any of you with requests for a quote, feel free to drop them in the comments or in a PM...**

**I know it's short, bu i'm hoping it's sweet enough that you won't mind :)**

**PS: share the love people!**

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><p><em>The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.<em>

_Ellen Parr_

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><p>"You do know it was curiosity that killed the cat, don't you?" he stage-whispered while they were both sneaking around the side of the house. She ignored him, while looking around to see if there was something around for her to stand on. "And, while I'm no cat, I'm pretty sure that wouldn't save me from being killed, I'm just sayin'." he continued. Veronica stopped her search for something to add to her height. "Oh, c'mon poppa bear. Where's your sense of adventure?" she asked him, while tilting her head a little to the side. "I think I left it at home, right next to my sense of self-preservation and my common sense. And don't you be tilting your head like that, you know I'm immune to that stuff," Wallace muttered back, defiantly folding his arms across his chest.<p>

"I see you didn't leave your funny bone. Now suck it up Fennell. Just admit you are as curious as I am to what is going on." Wallace only raised his eyebrows at that statement. "Nobody can _ever_ be as curious as you, V. And if somebody is, I hope I don't ever have to meet him." Veronica made a little bow at his statement, choosing to take it as a compliment instead of an insult.

"I was just as content to sitting on my comfy couch and playing that new basketball game I got for Christmas, thank you very much." Wallace huffed a little, shifting from one foot to the other, glancing around to see if anybody was watching them. "Yes well, talk about_ boring_. Watching you act like a 5 year old who loses at 'Memory' is not my idea of a fun night. And, I once read there is only one cure for boredom: curiosity. So shut up and give me a boost, so I can peek in the window." Veronica gave Wallace's shoulder a little nudge, and he grudgingly folded his hands in front of him.

"Too bad there isn't a cure for curiosity. Because that would come in handy right about now." He muttered to himself more than to Veronica. She wasn't really paying attention anyway. They stood there silently for about half a minute, before Wallace spoke again. "Oh God, I can't believe I'm going to ask this," he mused to himself, before speaking up so Veronica could hear. "V!" he stage-whispered, "what's happening?" He heard a chuckle coming from above him. "Oh, look who needs the curiosity cure now. I didn't know it was contagious."

Wallace dropped his hands a little, causing Veronica to lose her balance and yelp. "Okay, fine! They're hugging and crying. I guess that's a good sign, right?" Wallace opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by another voice.

"Oh ki-hids… Why don't you come in here for a second." Keith's voice sounded a little muffled, coming from inside the house. "There's something Alicia and I would like to share with you."


	2. Old Testament Gods

_Computers are like Old Testament gods; lots of rules and no mercy_

_Joseph Campbell_

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><p>The first thing Mac heard when she walked into the offices of Mars Investigation was Veronica cursing. When she moved closer, she heard another sound. A sound that cut her deep in her soul. She rushed over to the inner office, and saw her best friend doing her very best to try and punch her fingers through her keyboard, all the while cursing like a sailor on leave. And since she actually does know a sailor, who is very adept at cursing, she feels she can truthfully make the comparison.<p>

"Veronica!" she yelled, trying to get her friend's attention. The blonde's head snapped up at the sound of Mac's voice, and her look of utter desperation dissipated to make place for one of utter hope. "Q! You're a Gods send! Come, fix this." She said while moving out of her chair so Mac could sit. Mac narrowed her eyes at Veronica. "What did you do?" she asked.

Veronica shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I was doing some research and all of a sudden the stupid thing froze. I tried everything to get it running again, but no dice." Mac moved closer to the computer and quirked an eyebrow. "Just research? Fine, if you want to go that route. But was it really necessary to physically torture the thing? I could hear it's cries of pain all the way from across the office." Mac sat down at the computer and stroked it's keyboard gently. "Shhht, don't worry –" she whispered to the keys "- she won't hurt you anymore."

Veronica struggled to keep her face straight while she listened to Mac getting all touchy-feely with the computer. When Mac looked up and saw her face, she lifted a finger, as if to say "not a word". Veronica shrugged again and dropped in the chair across from the desk.

"So… can you fix it?" she asked her tech-genius best friend. Mac tilted her head to the side a little – a trait she picked up from a certain blonde she knew – and observed Veronica. A few tense seconds passed, but at last Mac let out a long sigh. "Of course I can fix it. But you've got to understand Veronica. Computers are like… Mac struggled to find a good way to describe what she meant. "Computers are like the Old Testament Gods, a lot of rules and no mercy. So if you piss them off, this is what you get."

Now it was Veronica's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Old Testament Gods? Does that mean I should pray to them and leave them food as offerings? Because praying I can do, but I'm not sharing my breakfast burrito with anybody."

Mac chuckled a little at that and turned her attention back to the screen. She'd been at it for a little while, when she finally had enough of Veronica's impatience. "Veronica! Remember what I said about the Old Testament Gods? They do require a breakfast burrito. Vegan, please."

Veronica smiled. "So, the Gods are vegans are they? Good to know. I'll be back in a jiffy." She replied to Mac, before turning around and heading out of the office.


	3. Worst Thing That Happens

_The worst thing that happens to you may be the best thing for you if you don't let it get the best of you._

_Will Rogers_

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><p>"Do you regret it?" he asks her suddenly, after what feels like hours of comfortable silence, lying in bed together. She doesn't really need to ask what he's talking about. She knows. It's a question she's been expecting for the better part of a week. It's an all-encompassing question. Does she regret leaving, all those years ago, vanishing without a trace. Does she regret staying, and leaving her carefully crafted new life behind. And even though she's happy, exactly where she is right now, it's still a difficult question to answer.<p>

She shifts a little, so that she can turn towards him without twisting his arm. Propping her head up on her hand, she looks at him for a moment. Trying to find a way to explain to him what she is thinking, without hurting either of them. _I should have learned this ages ago, this 'thinking before speaking' crap, would have saved me a lot of trouble. And law school debts._

"Yes" she says, still looking him in the eyes, "and no." She thinks she sees understanding flicker across his deep chocolate eyes, before a carefully blank look settles over him. He's determined to let her speak her mind, before bringing in his own take on the past. She's grateful for that. The _Old Logan_ wouldn't have held back. _The old Veronica neither, for that matter._

"Yes, because there were so many people I left behind. So many people I left holding the bag. I just ran away, which was a very cowardly thing to do. But, no, because it also was the bravest thing I could have ever done. I left what I knew, everyone I…" she swallows, 9 years and a BA in Psychology later and she still can't express her feelings well. "everyone I loved. Because I was ruining everybody's life. My dad lost his chance at being Sherriff again. Wallace was in danger from The Castle. You had a bulls-eye on your back from the frikking _Russian mob_. And all because of _me_."

She kisses him softly on the lips. "The weeks and months after I left, were some of the worst ever for me. But I didn't let it get the best of me. And I think I turned out pretty okay. I _like_ 28-year old Veronica." She knew he understood, by the way his lecherous grin spread over his face. He put his hands on her waist and –seemingly effortless- lifted her up so she was straddling him. "I think I like 28-year old Veronica as well." He then proceeded to kiss her senseless.

A little while later, Veronica was slowly falling to sleep, when his soft-spoken words wake her up again. "I feel the same," he whispers against her skin. "conflicted about the years I spent away from you, but grateful for the chance to get to know myself. To get to _like_ myself." She sighs contently, because the fact that they appear to be on the same page, after so long, feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. She snuggles closer to him, throwing her leg across his pelvis. "I've _always_ liked you, even when I hated you." She mumbles in the crook of his neck, before finally drifting off into a peaceful sleep.


	4. I Like Long Walks

**BONUS CHAPTER!**

**Okay, so this got a little away from me. It's not the light little chapter I intended it to be, but as usual, the story goes where it wants to go (its a lot like Veronica in that way). It's less funny than the rest of them, a little more heavy on the feels, but I hope you guys like it... **

**Leave me some love!**

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><p><em>I like long walks, especialy when they are taken by people who annoy me.<em>  
><em>Noël Coward<em>

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><p>The minute she sees the blonde mop of hair, hanging over the side of the couch, she turns back around. She is not in the mood for Dick tonight, not after the day she's had. But, it's too late, because even though she weighs about as much as a baby bird, somehow the head of Richard Casablancas Jr. is turned in her direction. <em>Stupid bat-hearing.<em> She stands there, awkwardly in the hallway of Logan's condo, not really sure what to do now. She's promised Logan she'd at least make an effort to act civil towards his best friend, but she's finding it increasingly difficult the longer she is subjected to him. Dick in brief and far between portions is already a struggle for her self-control, and that's _with_ Logan as a buffer. Now, with Logan out on a training drill until at least 1 AM, her self-control is practically non-existent.

"'Ronica," Dick says, while getting up from the sofa. _At least he's wearing clothes this time. It's such a bitch to get a couch disinfected._ "Dick." She replies curtly. "What are you doing here? Logan's out on a night-drill. He won't be back until after midnight." She glances at the clock behind Dick, 8 PM. "Which is not for another 5 hours, at the very least." She takes a small step to the side, a clear invitation for him to head out. Dick, always one to miss the subtle hints, just stands there, his hands in his pockets and his gaze focused on something behind Veronica.

"Actually… I'm not here for him. I was hoping to talk to you." At that statement, Veronica pinches herself. _Nope, definitely not asleep._ Then she looks out of her window, to see if she can spot a flying pig. Because, there is no way in Hell, Dick Casablancas is here, standing in her boyfriend's condo, asking to talk to her. Voluntarily. She blinks a few times, not really knowing what to say. "You, uh… want to take a walk, with me?" he asks, his eyes still landing on every surface of the apartment, except on her. Veronica tilts her head to the side, still not sure how to respond to this strange and out-of-character request made by the blonde jackass. She decides to stay true to her nature, and replies with snark. "Sure… I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me." But she says is without actual malice in her voice. Truth be told, she's kind of shaken by Dick's request. His lips quirk upwards and she understands he didn't really take offence, even though he knows he's the most annoying of them all, to her.

They each stay rooted to the spot for a moment longer, before Veronica's curiosity tips the scales. "Fine, let's go take a walk. But I'm bringing Mr. Sparky, just in case." She picks up her bag, which she'd dropped by the door on her way in, and opens the door.

They walk silently for a few minutes. An unconscious decision taking them in the direction of the beach. _You can take the girl out of SoCal, but you can't take SoCal out of the girl._ Finally, the silence becomes too much for her. "So… you wanted to talk?" she looks up at him. "Talk." Dick swallows a few times, and Veronica can almost hear the cartwheels in his head turning.

"You know I once tried to kiss Mac, right there on this beach?" he asks her, sounding almost embarrassed by the confession. "Yeah, Mac told me a little about that. She said you were drunk off your ass, which is not really all that surprising." Dick lets out a grim chuckle and nods. "Of course she did." He pauses for a minute, again trying to find the best way to start this conversation.

"Turns out, that when you go see a shrink for depression, and he prescribes _mary-jane_, he also expects you to talk about shit. " He kicks up a rock, lying on the sand. "And anyway, during these conversations, he came to this genius conclusion that I'm _projecting_ my anger and stuff onto others."

_Projection, I know a little something about that myself._ It's been Veronica's go-to-tactic for most of her teen years. At least the ones _after Lilly._ Back then, she used to label events as _before Lilly _or _after Lilly_. Now, being older and slightly more mentally stable, she knows that that also was a coping mechanism.

"So.. he suggested I take some time to talk to the people who I think I'm mad at the most, and figure out who the ones are that I'm actually angry with, and what I'm angry about." Another spray of sand hits her legs, as Dick kicks the rock another few feet ahead. "I've talked to my mom already. It took me 3 tries, but I finally got her to actually _remember_ our meeting. I figured out why I'm mad at her pretty quickly. I think the fancy term is 'abandonment', but I just call it 'not-giving-a-fuck-about-your-kids'."

Again, Veronica can relate. It seems like there really aren't any decent moms in the whole frikking town of Neptune. "Yeah, I know the feeling." Is her reply. It feels a little weird, commiserating with Dick over bad mothers, but then again, weirder things have happened in Neptune. "So, I'm next on your list?" she asks him, feeling a little out-of-sorts with this new, almost profound Dick.

"Yeah. I mean, there's still my dad, but visitations in jail aren't so easy, especially when you have a criminal record. There's a few hoops I have to jump through to get to him." He suddenly stops, and points to a huge, flat rock sticking out of the sand. "Let's sit."

Veronica follows him to the rock and sits down, drawing her knees up to her chest. "Go ahead. I'm all ears." She spurs him on.

"So… I've been mad at you for so long now, it's really hard for me to think back to the moment it really started." _Time and the copious amounts of weed you've been smoking since you were like, 12. _"I never really thought much about you, you know, back when Lilly was still alive. Next to her, you… well you were sometimes more like a non-present, you know what I mean. Like you were there, but if you weren't, I didn't really notice. But after Lilly died… you turned against us, or maybe we turned against you first I don't know. I understand now though, you sticking with family. That's important." He shrugs a little, as if he's gearing up for a long monologue, which he probably is.

"After that, I just fell in line with Logan. And I guess we were pretty bad influences for each other. It didn't matter back then though, we were young, rich and hot and the world was at our feet. And then you came back in the picture. Suddenly Logan drops me for the girl we've been tormenting for the past year. And I hated you for that. For stealing my best friend. It's stupid, I know, but it was the way it was. And then when you ended, I hated you for breaking his heart." He stops a second to take a deep breath.

"Then.. the whole thing with Bea-Cassidy. I hated you for not stopping him when he jumped. I hated you for not shooting him after you found out what he did with the bus. I hated you for being on that roof, instead of me. And I hate myself for not being there, for not stopping him. For acting towards him the way I did."

Veronica didn't know what to say. It had been a long time since she thought about that day at the Grand. A long time since she allowed herself to think about it. And she'd never imagined Dick would be the one to make her talk about it again.

"And now? Do you still hate me for that?" she asks tentatively. He shakes his head, "No. It wasn't your fault that my brother killed a bus full of kids and a plane full of people. It wasn't your fault he jumped. It was his own. And Woody Goodman's. And my dad's….and mine." A stray tear starts to make its way down his cheek, and Veronica thinks it's the first time she's actually seen Dick genuinely upset.

"So, I hate Cassidy for what he did. And I hate Woody and my dad, and myself for the way we treated him. That's where the projecting comes in I guess."

Veronica studies Dick for a moment, before replying. "Sometimes I wish I hadn't investigated." She turns her gaze over the ocean, trying to draw strength from its depths. "I wish I hadn't gotten mixed up in the whole thing. But that's just not me. And I did it for Meg, mostly. Or actually, because I felt guilty about what I did to Meg, with Duncan and all. I thought that if I found out who did it, it would fix everything." She shakes her head. _Silly Veronica._ "It didn't. All it gave me was nightmares."

Dick nods. "Yeah. Me, too."

They stay silent for an eternity, or maybe just 5 minutes, Veronica isn't really sure. But Dick breaks the silence. "Veronica… I just want you to know, I'm sorry. About all of it." He tells her, and by god, she can hear the sincerity in his voice.

Veronica thinks back to all the things he did to her over the years. The tormenting, the GHB, prodding Cassidy, acting like a grade A jackass. And then she thinks about what he's been through. Abandoned by his mother, belittled by his father, talked down to like he's an idiot (which granted, he kind of is, but he most certainly isn't _dumb_). Having a mass murderer for a brother, a white-collar criminal for a father and a careless mother isn't a healthy way to grow up, in any scenario.

So, when she finally answers, it's from the bottom of her soul, and she means every word of it. "Yeah. Me, too."


End file.
